Paul Pogba 's contract saga at Manchester United has taken another twist.
The 28-year-old, whose current deal at Old Trafford expires in June, is now allowed to speak to other clubs with the view to a free summer transfer.
But Pogba could yet commit his future to the Red Devils, with interim manager Ralf Rangnick potentially playing a big part.
French newspaper L'Equipe, via Sport Witness, report that the midfielder has been 'fluctuating' in his stance on stsaying at Manchester United.
It is claimed he acknowledges that Rangnick is 'not necessarily' his biggest fan - likely due to his less-than-intense style of play.
Back in 2017, when the 63-year-old was sporting director at RB Leipzig, Rangnick stated that he would not swap Naby Keita for Pogba and those comments are said to still be knocking around on his side.
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It is worth noting that the France international may not be working directly with Rangnick for much longer given the interim boss will also leave his post in May and head upstairs to work for the club in a consultancy role.
Former club Juventus, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly interested in signing Pogba, who United shelled out £89million on almost six years ago.
But his career at Old Trafford has been a disappointing one from both a personal and team perspective, failing to win a major trophy.
It now seems that Rangnick is uninterested in bending to Pogba, who is yet to feature under his new boss due to injury, if the player truly does not want to remain in Manchester.
"I wouldn't say he's not worth keeping," the temporary Red Devils manager said last December. "But players have to want to play for a big club like Manchester United.
"If a player does not want to play Manchester United in the medium or long term, I don't think it makes sense to convince him to change his mind.
"But let's wait and see, I have spoken with him for 15 minutes over the phone a few days ago. Let's have him come back, get fit, train with the team and see where we stand, how the team has developed by then.
"He can be an important player but this is true for all the other players we have.
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"I'm not just the coach of Paul Pogba, I'm also the coach of all the other players and my ambition is to make them better, improve each individual player, and this is only possible by improving the performance of the whole team."
Mino Raiola, Pogba's agent, declared in December 2020 that "it was over" for his client at United, yet it appears that may well not be true.
"We have many offers for him, including a contract extension," Raiola told German TV channel Sport1. "We'll see what’s best for him."
